CLIMATE RESPONSIVE SPATIAL RESEARCH BY DESIGN – A CASE
STUDY ANALYSIS ON THE COASTAL AREA OF FLANDERS
Sally Lierman1, Jeroen De Waegemaeker1*, Georges Allaert1
1
Center for mobility and spatial planning – Department of civil engineering
Ghent University, Vrijdagmarkt 10/301, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
In search of alternative adaptation strategies for the Belgian coast
Low-lying coastal zones are highly vulnerable to climate change and coastal protection
attracts special attention within adaptation planning. The Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) defined an international framework describing three strategies
within coastal adaptation practices; protect, retreat and accommodate (IPCC CZMS 1990;
Klein and Tol 1997). In Flanders the Coastal Division of the Flemish government recently
developed the Master Plan for Flanders Coastal Safety to assure the necessary protection
until 2050 (Afdeling Kust 2011). This master plan lists different measures, e.g. elevated
dikes and beach nourishment, all within the protect strategy.
The protect strategy focuses on reducing risks, but as climate change and sea level rise
continue (Nicholls, Hanson et al. 2006) each intervention in light of risk mitigation will
eventually be outdated. The retreat strategy reduces vulnerability by removing existing
structures and activities. Nevertheless, utilization of the coast increased dramatically
during the past century (Nicholls, Wong et al. 2007). The accommodate strategy focuses
an increased flexibility. This research, which took place within CcASPAR, concentrates on
compartmentalization as tool to create flexibility at a local scale. Research by design is
applied to explore the concept, to analyze its feasibility at the Flemish coast and to
nurture the public debate on climate adaptation.
Climate related challenges at the Belgian coast
Sea level rise dominates the international literature and debate on climate adaptation in
coastal areas (Nicholls, Wong et al. 2007). Belgium is no exception as current adaptation
policies are restricted to maintaining coastal safety. As the coastal zone is an interface
between land and sea, it is indeed vulnerable to coastal erosion and flooding during
storm at sea. At the Belgian coast, sea level rise will raise water levels near the current
coastline. This will cause higher waves and increases the impact of a storm at sea. At the
Belgian coast sea level rise by only one meter would cause waves up to four meters
(Reyns, Verwaest et al. 2011). In addition, climate induced coastal erosion would cause
loss of beaches by 17 to 50 percent by the year 2100 (Van der Biest, Verwaest et al.
2009).
However, the coastal region is also threatened by impacts within the coastal zone and its
hinterland (Nicholls, Wong et al. 2007). Local changes in precipitation might cause pluvial
flooding, drought and salinization in the low lying area called ‘polders’. As Yser and
(drainage) channels link hinterland and coast, alterations in precipitation further inland
might cause fluvial flooding. The whole range of climate impacts (e.g. drought, flooding)
needs to be addressed when adapting to climate change.
Besides this multitude of climate impacts, the recent increase of human activities renders
coastal zones extra vulnerable to climate change (Nicholls, Wong et al. 2007). In Belgium,
two periods marked the coastal area and its landscape. During the 11th and 12th century,
agriculture was a driver for land reclamation (Verhulst 1966; Verhulst and Gottschalk
1980). Pumps, channels and river embankments were constructed to transform the
landscape. Until the beginning of the 19th century, the dune area stayed scarcely
inhabited, but attracted many tourists during the past two centuries. This lead to a strong
urbanization that was backboned by the development of a tramway, road (called Royal
Route) and dyke along the coastline (Van Acker 2011). At the moment, the Belgian coast
is by far the most urbanized coastal region within Europe (Eurosion, 2004) and consists of
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an ageing population, caused by increasing retirement migration (Safecoast, 2008). Up to
88 percent of the Flemish coastline is protected by dykes and beach nourishment
(Eurosion, 2004).
Compartmentalization as framework for technical and spatial adaptation measures
As an answer to the climate related challenges, the CcASPAR project researched a new
concept: compartmentalization. Within the compartmentalization concept, the current
system and its safety levels are revisited at a local scale. As all climate impacts are water
related (either flooding or drought) new embankments are added to split up the coastal
zone into different compartments, each with its own water management. Such division
creates a possibility to rescale the adaptation debate. Whether or not coastal erosion,
fluvial and pluvial flooding, drought and salinization (might) occur and whether or not
this will cause problems, can be analyzed for each compartment individually.
Furthermore, the system within each compartment -its land use, its socio-economic
characteristics and its landscape- can be revisited separately. If one wishes to maintain
the existing system, technical strategies (e.g. dyke reinforcement, new pumps and
increased water supply) are in order. If not, the climate impacts could be integrated into
the compartment through conditions. Such conditions are not particular destinations (e.g.
floodplains) but guidelines for local land use. In this way, space and spatial measures (e.g.
elevated buildings, salt resistant crops and building restrictions) become part of the
climate adaptation planning.
left: Masterplan for Flanders Coastal Safety (source: CcASPAR) / right: compartmentalized coast
(source: CcASPAR)
Feasibility at the Flemish coast
The implementation of the proposed concept demands the development of a new
infrastructural layer: a pattern of dykes. However, in the past millennium several
embankments (e.g. historical dykes, roads, motorways, railways, sound and sight barriers)
were built within the coastal region. Flood models, like the one developed within the
Master Plan for Flanders Coastal Safety, mark that these structures already reduce the
consequences of flooding. Yet, the embankments are not continuous or designed to
function as dykes. The research by design within CcASPAR proposes to reuse the current
framework as basis of the compartmentalization.
Benefits of the compartmentalization concept
The compartmentalization concept has several benefits and puts current developments in
perspective. Firstly, the new pattern of embankments offers opportunities to balance the
system and its safety levels at a local scale. As such, one can avoid implementing extreme
protection measures wherever they are unnecessary or undesirable. Especially when sea
level keeps rising and dyke reinforcement gets more and more expensive, this may be an
important benefit. Moreover, investments can be spread over time. The proposed
framework of dykes does not have to be developed immediately and the embankments
might be purely theoretical. Only when the safety level is locally modified, they must be
constructed.
Secondly, the compartmentalization strategy creates opportunities to build with nature.
Several dynamic processes are now counteracted by current policies, while these
processes actually insure a natural adaptation of the coastal landscape. For instance, hard
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infrastructures do not only reduce the impacts of sea level rise but also cause loss of
ecosystems due to coastal squeeze (Knogge 2004). By redefining the system at a local
scale this natural adaptation can be put to use. For each compartment strategies can be
developed that integrate the natural dynamic and the local socio-economic development.
In addition, such approach creates chances for new growth at ‘underdeveloped’
compartments. Finding a new equilibrium demands an innovative approach and an
integrated vision on local climate adaptation and socio-economic development. Yet, once
the desired equilibrium has been defined and decisions on spatial measures have been
taken, investments in adaptation are no longer restricted to major infrastructures like
dykes and pumps. In this way, climate adaptation, financed by the public and/or private
sector, puts redevelopment of landscape and land use into motion.
left: caricature current Flemish coast (source: Steven Wilsens)
compartmentalized coast (source: CcASPAR)
/
right: caricature
In the long-term, the urbanized coastline, which is rather monotonous at the moment,
becomes a composition of traditional and alternative landscapes. This new coastal region
–a collection of compartments- will be a new interface between land and sea, capable of
absorbing any (climate related) impact in the long-term. As such, the
compartmentalization concepts increases the flexibility of the Belgian coast as a whole.
Acknowledgments
This research is part of CcASPAR, a strategic fundamental research project on climate changes and
changes in the Flemish spatial structures. Within work package five the University Ghent (Center for
Mobility and Spatial Planning1) and University College Ghent (School of Arts2) have conducted
research by design on climate adaptation at the Belgian coast. We would like to thank the other
members of the design team. We thank Pieter Foré2 and David Verhoestraete1 for their for their
innovative ideas on climate adaptation and coastal landscapes. Furthermore, special thanks go to
Bjorn Verhofstede1 for framing all ideas within the international adaptation debate and for his
constructive input during the entire design process.
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